NeNe Was a Stripper

In her memior Never Make the Same Mistake Twice, NeNe reveals that when she was in her 20s, she sometimes went by a different name -- "Silk." That was her stage name while working as a stripper at the shaky butt so she can take care of her young son (and - guess this - build confidence), the NY Daily News reports.

Yes, I was a stripper - let the judgments ensue," NeNe wrote "I'm not ashamed. What difference does it make if I danced or not? Is the sun going to stop shining? Is my past taking food out of your mouth? [I stripped] for the sake of my son, and to restore my confidence in myself. My son was in private school, his father wasn't chipping in for ­pull-ups or food, I had no job and no money coming in, the rent was past due, and the super told me and my roommate that our condo owner was about to put us out. It was about survival. I could make $500 off one guy just by turning him on. [These men] "were obviously there to see what I had, and I quickly realized that those men weren't there to make me feel bad about myself."